More than 80% of mothers regularly experience pain, survey finds

By Alaric DeArment

STERLING, Ill. — The vast majority of mothers experience pain throughout their bodies, according to a new survey.

The survey, commissioned by electric massager maker Wahl Clipper Corp. and conducted by Harris Interactive, found that 84% of mothers experience pain. This includes 80% who experience lower back pain, 76% with shoulder and neck pain, 70% with upper back pain and 65% with joint pain. The survey included 2,000 men and women, including 300 mothers with children younger than 18, who were asked about their pain and how they cope with it.

"As a mom, it's easy to just accept that pain is part of the job," Wahl massager division product manager Jenny McLaughlin said. "As a leader in pain management, we're committed to developing new and better tools that can help those in pain, including moms, manage it more effectively from the comfort of their own homes."

The survey found that while the majority of mothers experience pain, they're 10% more likely to have it in the upper back and 3% more likely to have it in the lower back, neck and shoulders, and almost 25% are more likely to experience it at least once a week. The company said this may account for why they're more willing to do something to treat their pain; 70% said they treat it with medication, 43% use hot-cold treatments and 27% use massage therapy. Wahl's products include the Hot/Cold Massage Gel Pack and the Hot/Cold Therapeutic Massager.

A 2012 survey of 1,000 mothers of children, conducted by Opinion Research Corp. and commissioned by the company, found that the average mother spends nearly 40 hours per week transporting children, cooking, cleaning and running errands, while 72% of mothers also work or volunteer.